Photoshop SmartObjects - For Bakes

Tavor

I don't know how many people use this little trick, but I did a search on smart objects and didn't find any threads. That being said, I recently tried using smart objects to see if you could just link an image to a layer in Photoshop. Sure enough, you can!

Lots of time saved not having to manually open files and copying and pasting them into one msssive one. Now, its setting up layers, making smart objects, placing content into each one.. o wait. Still, I'm saving quite a bit of time on my current project which has 17 bits to it. Some individual things I had to rebake, and it was great just being able to right click and replace the image.

passerby

so your saying i could link a layer to a external image, like say the AO.tga xnormal spits out on re-bakes?

Tavor

Yes.

WarrenM

I had no idea this was even possible, thanks!

passerby

cant test atm since im not on a comp with PS, but how does it handle layer masks on a smart layer?

could i have the content of the layer comefrom seprate file, and have a layer mask put on it, from my main psd

poopipe

probably, but even if it doesn't work you could put the smart object in a layer group and put your layer mask on that

Bryan Cavett

This probably isn't a good idea in production if multiple people need to work with that psd or am I missing how smart objects work? You will need to make sure all those linked images are in the same place and checked in.

.morph3us

where's the problem?
connect a network harddrive and store the images there.

Tavor

@Bryan Cavett: I just tried to move one image into a test directory (away from from where it originally was). Turned the layer on and off and restarted Photoshop, and it is still there. I'm guessing it saves a "local" copy of the image to the psd. You can still edit the image, and when you go to save the edit, it transported me to the temp folder for Photoshop. I didn't think about what you'd have to do to make it work in a production environment but maybe this would work (?):

1) You could check it out (it being the texture bake you plan to put into a layer)
2) Convert a layer to a smart object
3) Place the texture there (right click -> replace..)
4) When the PSD is saved, you will have a local copy of the texture file that you checked out which you could delete.
5) If you made individual changes to the smart object layer then save those out and check 'em back in.

pior

Smart object layers are, indeed, stored inside the PSD file containing them. They simply aren't resized in a destructive manner - they stay at their original size until rasterized. Very useful stuff.

Mark Dygert

I wish max would play nice with them, specifically viewport canvas.